Compass & Rope
by HopelesslyDaring
Summary: Cadence didn't know she had a past life—a life that Pan was included in. She arrived in Neverland 20 minutes ago and she's already made an enemy, an ally, and agreed to sail the world with a boy she didn't know. Pan knows Cadence. She used to be Annabelle, the rogue, pretty captain of his ship. Cadence doesn't know Pan. He's only the cocky boy that stuffed her away in a fairytale.
1. V for Vendetta

**Yoohoo! Guys, this first chapter doesn't include Neverland yet. It kind of introduces the main character and her life. Although, pay attention. It'll help if you do read it. I'll put up the real good chapter later.** **Enjoy!**

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The sword bounced in the palm of my hand. I stabbed my opponent in the chest with the protected sword, and he groaned, tearing off his fencing helmet.

"Why do you always win? God, I'm trying here." I laughed, taking mine off as well.

"Stephen, you've only been fencing for 2 months. You aren't even advanced yet." He put his helmet aside and began packing up his equipment. Stephen was my best friend.

"Keep saying that. One day, I'll be the one pinning you down. Look, I'll see you tomorrow. Dad wants me to go to my cousin's wedding. She's about 4'10 and horribly pathetic. You should come with me." I smiled to myself. For the past year, I fancied Stephen a little—just a bit though. He was cute and very stubborn. So, he was a hard person to teach fencing to.

"Alright, I'll come." He paused and glanced at me.

"Wait, really? You'll come?" He asked, doubtful.

"Sure. What time are you leaving?"

"Around 5. I'll pick you up at 6. Is...Is that alright?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'll see you tonight." I replied, throwing my bag over my shoulder. He nodded, and I walked out of the school gymnasium alone.

When I was 15 years old, I bought a dress that I promised to wear the day of my first prom. Unfortunately, I didn't wear it for that prom. I never wore it...until the wedding. It was a loose, pale yellow dress that as short in the front and long in the back. A thin leather belt hung at my waist. I blushed in the mirror, thinking of the evening to come. My hair was curled in long orange beach waves. I was a ginger and nearly everyone on my south side of Winchester knew it. I stared at myself, not bothering to look in a mirror. It would have to do for a wedding. I wasn't expecting some huge leap of faith to come from Stephen. I just wanted a sign that he had mutual feelings. The alarm clock read 5:49.

I sucked in my nerves and trailed down to the living room. We moved from Rhode Island to Winchester 4 years ago. I lived with my sister, Vendetta, in an apartment that just got us by. Mom was in Ecuador searching for a cure for her rare disease. Dad accompanied her there. So, Vendetta got a job and started actually doing something with her life. She didn't like my choice of a career. I loved fencing but I knew that wouldn't ever soar as a career with me. Vendetta thought of me as a great writer but I really wanted to travel the world and pick up odd jobs.

Exploring was my second nature, and who can blame me for picking up fencing? A girl needs to know how to kick a**. Vendetta had red hair but much lighter than mine—almost blonde. She called it "orange cream". I preferred it to be "creamy blood". Somehow that sounded much better than orange cream...at least to me.

"Are you going to kiss him?" I whipped my head around towards her.

"Why would you ask that?!" I snapped.

"You didn't answer my question. Are you?" A blush creeped up to my cheeks.

"I don't know. I don't think so." She smirked, pulling her knees up and grabbing her diet Coke.

"Fine. I don't know why you get like this whenever I bring up the other sex." She remarked. I shrugged my sister off, rubbing my sweaty palms on the couch. 5:54.

"Are you going out tonight?" I asked. Vendetta shook her head, her curls bobbing like fishing lures.

"Oh. I'll be home around 11, I think. Stephen said he'd drive me back."

"Great. See you tonight, love." A knock on the door silenced everyone. Vendetta clawed her way off the couch, spilling her soda.

"Vendetta!" I yelled, hauling myself off as well. My sister wasn't the best person to make first impressions. Yes, she'd talked to Stephen before, but I never said she was good at talking. The door swung open at her fingertips.

"Hello Stephanie," Vendetta remarked. I shoved her out of the way. Stephen was a tall 17-year old boy who still sucked at fencing and driving any vehicle. But, he was absolutely gorgeous in my eyes. He was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was 12 and had made 2 trips to the hospital upon seizures. Yet, he was still smiling like a young lad. His blonde hair fell in his eyes frequently, so he wore beanies a lot. Instead, his hair was combed and somewhat neat except for the apparent, obsessive fingers-running-through-hair episode that went on before. His eyes were as clear as glass and milky to the core. Yet, his skin was rough and bumpy from past acne. Stephen was still a prince to me. I smiled cheekily.

"You look really...good," I blushed, thinking about the away I said good. It as weird and stalker-like. He smirked.

"Thanks. You look beautiful, m'lady. Shall we be off to the ball?" He teased, bowing and holding out his arm in invitation.

"Indeed, we shall." I latched onto his arm and left without a second look towards Vendetta.

With a driving struggle on the way there, we finally made it to his cousin's wedding in a small chapel that I'd never seen or heard of. It was white like snow and, frankly, cheesy. Stephen was right about his predictions on the way there—how the cake would be overly iced, the bride would comment about her favorite sports team in her wedding vows, and the guy would stutter like hell. It wasn't too bad for a wedding though. It was simple and to the point. It wasn't immaturely themed or stocked up on desserts like most weddings you hear about. I liked it until the dance music came on. That was when. I wanted to crawl into a tiny hole and engrave my own tombstone.

"Cadence, get over here. Please?" Stephen asked, pulling my arm to the dance floor.

"Are you kidding? No way. I'm not good at dancing." He rolled his eyes.

"You fight like a graceful antelope. Dancing is just the same. Come with me, please?" He asked again.

"No...Can you just wait for a slow song?" His grumpy frown turned into a soft smirk.

"Yeah, of course." He sat next to me.

"Cadence Dixon? You know why I brought you here, right?" He asked.

"Because it's your cousin's big day. There isn't any other reason." I said, hoping he'd prove me wrong.

"Yes...and no. I wanted you here because I don't have anyone else that will be willing to come with me or be friends with me or walk down that isle with-" he began.

"What?" His face turned a shade or dark red.

"Never mind. Hey, can that slow song wait? I want to talk to you outside?" I hesitated before nodding. He led me out of the back door and into the cool summer air.

"What's wrong?" I asked, a bit hesitant.

"I kind of had a plan for tonight." Stephen said.

"What was that?" I asked, hiding my hands. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I wanted us to come in this wedding as friends and...and to leave as a bit more." My stomach left at his little words.

"Stephen, what are you saying?"

"I'm...I'm asking, Cadence, would you like to be...my girlfriend?" My heart climbed up my throat. Another person's wedding probably wasn't the best place for a new relationship, but I wasn't going to pass it up.

"Yes, yes, Stephen." His unsure face lit up in surprise. He actually doubted my answer.

"Are you joking?" He asked, still shocked.

"No, I'm not joking." He smiled so wide and wrapped me in a huge bear hug.

"Thank you, Cadence." His lips softly kissed my forehead and my eyelids, and my night was truly made. Yes, it was very cliché that it turned out how I wished it would, but sometimes people are that lucky. For me, I was very...until 3:09 a.m. I stayed with Stephen longer than 11. Vendetta was asleep on the couch with Sex and the City reruns still playing on the TV. I crept past her and raced up to my room. My excitement was unbearable. It felt like a big bomb of hormones forming up to explode at the right time. I put on a long tee shirt and shorts. Then, I climbed into to bed and stared at the window—at all those beautiful city lights. Winchester wasn't too bad. It had its perks—like cute boys and hopeless romances that got broken at 3:09 a.m.


	2. Annabelle Cipriano

**Introducing the better chapter of Compass and Rope. Please enjoy! R&R please.**

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All I saw were the hollow black figures of people carrying other people. They were in long lines sometimes. Most of them were carried. My eyes flickered open and I noticed that I wasn't it bed. I was being carried over the shoulder. Vendetta. I groaned and pounded playfully on her back.

"Vendetta, put me down. I'm really tired." I said, a small smile in my voice.

"Me too, princess." It was the voice of a boy. It wasn't Stephen or anyone I knew. I froze as a stiff as a board. The boy carrying me was walking through a reckless forest, bumpy and dark. In his other arm was a girl asleep. I looked in front of me and noticed a stream of other people being strung along as well. Where am I?

My hands were bound by rope, my legs too. Suddenly, the group stopped and tossed everyone down on the ground. There were many people waking up, most wondering where they were. I looked around nervously. When everyone was woken up, a boy hidden by shadow and covered by his hood caught everyone's eyes.

"Attention! Welcome. I'm very glad to have you all here. I have gathered many of you from Winchester, England, a place very dear to me. Most of you are wondering where you are, what's happening. Worry not. All your questions will be answered soon enough." Said the boy in a voice slick like oil.

"My name is Elijah. I'm in an elite group that many of you will dream about being in. You are all here because, frankly, no one wanted you. You are useless to everyone else. But, you are not useless to us. You will be given a role. There is a battle to take place soon. The lucky group will be able to fight. The even luckier will be accepted into our group. But, for now, you are just newcomer to Neverland. So, welcome. Klaus here will show you where to go."

I glanced to where the boy ushered to and spotted him. Stephen. His hair was messy and in a hood. But, his eyes were so obvious. I couldn't make words. He saw me and smirked. As he started to come by many people, directing them to places, his eyes still stayed on me. When, my turn came, I immediately blew out my questions.

"Who in the hell is Klaus?" I barked.

"That's my name, dearie. I'm so sorry our infatuation had to end like this." He teased.

"Infatuation? Where am I, Stephen? What's going on?" I asked.

"Neverland, love. It's where every ignorant girl like you ends up. Go on ahead towards that green tent over there. I think He would like to speak to you."

Klaus moved on to the next person, leaving me expressionless. I wasn't sure what was going on about. All I knew was that Stephen was dead and Klaus had reborn. I slipped inside of the tent to see it nearly empty. There was a hand-drawn map spread out across the large tree stump. Lying next to it was a fencing sword, the real thing—no protection cap either. I grabbed the sword and bounced it in my hand. It felt like my old one. I examined the map carefully, still holding the sword.

"Neverland," I murmured to myself. Suddenly, the tent flap opened and a boy a foot taller than me stepped in. He had sandy blond hair that was messy to the core. His skin—perfectly tanned with freckles dancing across his nose. He looked stunningly childish. His eyes were like leaves, strongly detailed and green like them as well. They had a stare that hurt like hell to look at. At my first glance, a pain struck through my chest—on the scar across my heart where I had surgery at birth. I stumbled back, holding the pain and cringing. It faded with the scar but still left a stinging after-blow. I looked at myself, curious of why my scar suddenly ached.

On the other hand, the boy's eyes lit up like stars at the sight of me.

"Annabelle! H-How did you get back here? I thought I sent Nicholas to return you to Winchester." His smile was crooked along with his teeth, although they were white like sea foam. I stood staring at him in shock and discomfort. The boy immediately pulled me in for a kiss, peppering kisses across my cheeks as well. It was actually my first kiss, considering Klaus never actually kissed my lips. When I saw my chance, I shoved him off of me as hard as I could.

"Get away from me you creep!" I exclaimed, holding out the sword. His eyes were milky and confused now.

"Annabelle—"

"I'm not Annabelle!" His eyes darkened and some realization set in. He pushed away my sword.

"I should've known. Annabelle is dead. You must've taken her form. She was stabbed," he came closer to me and pressed a finger to my heart, "right here. The codfish twisted the knife two times before she was completely lost." Then, the boy pulled my shirt down just enough to see my scar. He smirked darkly.

"Figures." I pushed him away again.

"Who are you?" I demanded. He smiled, looking down at the map.

"You must be that girl Klaus told me about. He did say you were a spitting image of Captain Annabelle Cipriano. I didn't believe him...until now. What's your name, girl?" I kept my hand on the hilt of the sword.

"Cadence Dixon. Now you tell me who you are and why the hell I'm not in Winchester." His smirk returned.

"You're very amusing by the way. You even have her attitude—taking no sh** from anybody. I'm Captain Pan. That's what you'll call me." I frowned, still not getting all of my answers.

"Also, we need you here. You are the one thing leading us to success. See, my crew and I are sailing away from this wretched land. Klaus insisted that bringing you along would be good luck. I usually wouldn't pity pathetic girls such as yourself. Though, I need as much as I can get. Also, Klaus has the ability to see the future in specific times so I agreed." I couldn't help but smirk.

"I'm not a side stool, Captain Pan. Do you even have a ship?" I provoked.

"Yes. It's the one we stole from those damned rats called pirates. We cut them down and quickly took possession of the vessel." I dropped the sword to my side.

"Where to?" I asked. Pan shrugged.

"Anywhere but here." I probably sounded crazy agreeing to sail with him. I wasn't someone to beat around the bush. There wasn't a way to get back home. I was as stranded as Pan was.

"I'll go." I murmured, looking at the map. He seemed vaguely surprised that I agreed.

"Good. I'll give you some clothes," he looked at my pajamas, "and until we leave you'll load and clean the ship. Also, you'll hunt with the boys. I assume you know how to use that." Pan ushered to the sword. I hugged it tighter to me.

"Yes, I do." He smirked evilly.

"You'll need to use it."


	3. Water Girl

A boy named Thomas was told to make sure I didn't run off into the woods or anything stupid. He had dark thick curls that fell in his eyes despite every attempt to keep them away. He didn't talk very much. He was more of a listener. I'd say a few words and he'd smirk so I guess he liked hearing me talk. That or he was creepy. He wasn't that bad looking actually. He always had his hood over. Though, he was about my height, slender, and cheeky as far as I could tell. His eyes were what messed me up the most. They were black with nearly no whites. He had told me in was medical problems back at the mainland (which I found out was Earth).

Thomas never went into detail about himself. He had brought me clothes the pirates before had used. That consisted of dirty brown trousers that were torn at the ends, a large navy tunic and leather belt around my mid-waist. Also, I had received leather boots that went up to my knee and a single thin glove that cut off at my finger knuckles. I tied a leather string around it to keep it from falling off. All in all, I looked dirty and lost. Maybe that was the point. Coincidently, Thomas slipped me a gold earring. It was a simple and small loop, but I loved it. That only proved that the boy didn't despise me.

The rest of the week was torture. I scrubbed the top deck hard with whatever I could get. The soap was old and flaky, so I had to make the scrubbing water myself. Then, I had to put my arms through the pain of scrubbing wood all day in the sun and sometimes at night. In the mornings when I was busy cleaning and the lads were packing food, they'd occasionally dump the bucket of soapy water onto me, drenching me entirely. Then, they'd laugh and I'd scramble to pick the bucket up before they tossed it overboard. There was also days when they'd kick me in the stomach while I cleaned. It didn't hurt too much at first, but when it frequently happened, my sides began to ache. Serving on Pan's deck was definitely challenging. So, I scrubbed the floor.

My back hurt and my feet had fallen asleep. It was a bright afternoon. The lads were hauling the last of the crates aboard. Most of them were tying knots along the sides of the ships and loading cannonballs in case they were needed. Captain Pan stood in front of the wheel, watching the ocean ahead. The lust for leave was in his eyes. I paused for a moment to watch Pan. He seemed to love the sea much more than all other things. It almost seemed like he had dreamed about being a pirate. I was probably being absurd watching the boy thoughtfully. Just then, the bucket came down on my head, cloaking my whole body in salt water and soap. I shoved the bucket off of my head. The laughter of all the boys surrounded me.

"How do you like the water, deviant?"

"Wet, stupid girl!"

The laughter had caught the attention of Pan. He looked at us.

"Hey! Get back to work you hideous little cockroaches!" bellowed Pan.

I stared at Captain Pan, shocked that he'd taken up so much authority. The Neverland I remembered from stories was cheerful with mermaids, Indians, and fairies. This Neverland was hell. Then, a thought swept across my mind like wind.

"Pan!" I called out. I struggled to my feet—my knees aching and feet hurting. His bold eyes stared down at my dull ones.

"What happened to Wendy?" A smile pursed on his lips.

"Not Wendy—Annabelle. Get back to work!" He yelled.

I was more than curious about Annabelle. She seemed important to the lads. Only one boy told me about her. That boy was named Felix but I took up calling him Slightly because his head was always slightly leaning to one side.

"She led Captain into war with the pirates. She killed James Hook with one hand. Though, one of the pirates stabbed her in the stomach. She was. Going to bleed to death. Pan used some of his fairy dust to keep her alive for a little while. He sent her home and she died alone."

No one described her any differently. She was only looked at as a serious fighter—nothing more, nothing less. The days still dragged on. Pan came to the ship more often but stayed at the exact same spot doing the exact same thing. Never once did Pan talk to anyone other than himself of Slightly. I hadn't even touched the floor one morning. I stood at the front of the ship, crouching down and thinking about Vendetta. She'd probably called Mom and Dad. They probably were rushing home to find their girl. I only wished I could tell them. It especially wasn't fair to them. Though, in hindsight, Captain Pan wasn't a fair person.

"What in the hell are you doing, girl?" barked Pan as he trudged up the steps. I stood up and looked his way.

"I'm tired of cleaning the deck and being the maid of this ship. Give me something important to do."

His smirk returned.

"Come here." He told me. Pan ushered me to the wheel. Quickly, he placed my hands in the correct position on the wheel. The wooden pegs were engraved with decorations that my fingers fan over constantly. The image of me actually sailing the ship crossed my mind. It was ridiculous but made me feel important.

"Annabelle was Wendy. That damn Barrie was a pirate here. James Hook had captured him as a boy and Barrie found an escape from here as an adult. I still haven't found how he escaped. That's really the reason we're leaving Neverland. Barrie got back to the mainland and decided to write a book about me and Neverland. It exposed us all. He even wrote about Annabelle. Of course, he changed her name to an idiotic one. J. M. Barrie pulled off Neverland like it was a children's story—like it was a fairytale." the boy spat. I watched his fingers run over mine. He didn't pay attention to his actions.

"We're getting out of here and I'm going to the mainland." He pulled my hands away and shoved me back, realizing his mistake of opening up to me. Pan stuck a finger at me and sneered.

"You'll be cleaning this ship until it sparkles. And don't ever speak to me like that again. Get away from me." He growled. I backed away and left him alone. I was fuming internally. He couldn't talk to _me_ like that. I was definitely more important than him.


	4. Captain Pan

**Guys, make sure to review. I really love your feedback. So, I've been obsessing over Peter Pan for several weeks and I'm still debating which movie is the best. Peter Pan was actually really mean in the original book by J.M. Barrie. He killed the Lost Boys when they got too old. He taught the kids how to fly but not to land so they'd fly nonstop, exhausted, for so long. All Peter did was laugh. Mean Peter.**

**~M&M**

It was some number in the middle of the night. No one could tell the time in Neverland. That was what Thomas told me. Time was different there so no one kept track of it. Let's just say, I was exhausted from working on that da** ship and my eyelids drooped like they carried the weight of the world. But, I could still make out the fuzzy image. He'd told me to never trust what was shown to me. At least not in Neverland. Neverland was all about belief. At first, it seemed like Neverland was some sort of religion. But, in hindsight, it was the polar opposite.

I had to move constantly due to the uncomfortable sticks and rocks underneath me making it difficult to sleep any. Usually, I would be up for hours before. I could even drift off. Most of the times, I'd think of my sister and my parents. I'd still imagine them panicking, crying. If they were even doing that, I'd be surprised. Since I was very little, when my parents left, I had imagined them leaving because they didn't want Vendetta and me anymore.

Never was I proved wrong. My parents never came to visit or called. It was as if they never existed at all. The only thing that reminded me of their appearance was a family photo that belonged to Vendetta. I was an infant—oblivious to the world and my future.

They left too quickly.

It s the first time Thomas had talked to me in days. He'd been hunting with others—bringing only wild boars and rabbits back. His hair remained in his eyes and mine did too.

"God, I'd give anything for a hairband right now." He looked at me funny.

"What's a-"

"Forget it." I remarked. The silence fell over and we only listened to the cries of small children and the crickets in the night. Finally, he spoke.

"Neverland is only allowed to have unloved and orphaned children on its land." Thomas said. I brushed my hair away and tried to look him in the eyes.

"My parents are alive...I think."

"They may be but you definitely aren't loved." I rolled my eyes and dipped my hand in the nearby sand.

"Thanks for reminding me." My hands pulled up tiny grains of gold that felt like silk. I felt the sand pour like it came out of an hourglass.

"Thomas, Pan said I had taken the form of Annabelle. Another can't resemble a dead person, can they?" He seemed perfectly fine with the odd question.

"When you stepped onto the shore of Neverland and we saw you," Thomas began, "we all were terrified to see the face of a corpse. Literally. I think, personally, that you are a Phoenix. You are radiant in your lifetime. You do great things. Then, when you die, the ashes are deadly. The memory becomes absolutely venomous. Soon, though, from the ashes, rises another one of you, ready to carry on that greatness again and again." Thomas pushed away his hair and I saw all wonder in his eyes.

"So that's what you think I am—a phoenix?"

"Yes." Without word, I nodded, not sure how to respond correctly.

"Thank you." Thomas hesitated, nodded, and walked away. My head rested back on the tree. The darkness was nearly swallowing my whole consciousness up with the thoughts of a Phoenix when I saw a different darkness out of the corner of my eye. Usually, when you see something suspicious like that, you don't follow your instincts. But, considering I was in Neverland, I couldn't have cared less about that kind of advice.

My feet moved before the rest of me did. I crawled up and crept around every sleeping boy on the shore. The dark figure moved across the deck of Pan's ship. Immediately, after I'd gotten through the spread of teenage males, I slipped onto the boat. There it was, cloaked and stupid as all get out. The thing reached into the cloaked and pulled out a flash of silver. A knife. Then, it began sawing the handles of the wheel off. They came off pretty quickly.

Soon, the wheel was blank and the figure through the pegs into the sea below. Then, he began sawing away at the ropes of the sail. I would step in but the knife kept me away. My sword was in, what the others called, "The Pit" of the ship. I was unable to reach it. When the sail had fallen, he began to do something I couldn't believe. Carving. Whatever it was, I couldn't tell. Quickly, I scurried back to my tree. The figure had been nearing me and the risk was too large to take. Finally, when my head hit the tree, I was engulfed in dream.

I was kicked away. When you've been living with immature boys, you get used to it. I winced and blinked myself awake. Thomas was in front of me, pulling me up.

"Because I'm not an a**, I really suggest you either were framed or crazy. If it's any of those two, I also suggest you run for your da** life." I continued yawning and blinking away the sun.

"What?"

"Wake up, Cadence. You're in so much trouble. You'd be lucky to come out alive in this one.

"Thomas, what are you talking about?" My vision came into focus and I saw it all. The ship...

Suddenly, my hands were pulled aboard the disaster. Pan' ship was ruined. The boards were torn, the sail, shredded. The wheel was salvaged from the water. And right in the middle of it all was the message "For screwing with me, Pan. You'll pay. Dixon" carved in the floorboard. I could scream. My breath caught me when I read it all. I was shoved aboard. Boys were muttering rude comments about me behind me. My only hope was that the figure had killed Pan or the figure was planning to kill me. Anyway we went, it would happen.

Sadly, my wishes were not granted that day. He stumbled aboard, half-asleep. His hair was pointy and messy. Pan's eyes sagged and a drunken look attached to his face. But, the shock was as apparent as day itself. I could only describe Captain Pan in one word. Venomous.

"What the hell happened here?!" He exclaimed, clenching his fists. No one even dared to speak. He turned around and saw me, and, suddenly, I wanted to die. His steps burned holes through Neverland.

"Pa, I didn't–" Pain kissed my cheeks. I fell to the deck floor and came to the realization that he had slapped me. A nasty dead taste filled my mouth. Blood. My lip bed badly. Then, I was yanked up by him. My eyes met his vicious, rage-filled ones.

"You trashed my ship?" He spat. Speechless, I grasped for words.

"N-No. I saw someone come here last night. Please. It wasn't me." I was thrown down again.

Then, Pan got in my face.

"You will fix this da** ship until it's better and cleaner than any ship on the Mainland. If I so happen to see a toe out of line, I will kill you, Cadence Dixon." My eyes filled with tears and I nodded nervously. He looked back at his terrified crew.

"This isn't the theater, rats. Clean this ship now!" Instead of standing at the top of the hull, admiring his ship like he used to, Captain Pan crawled back into his quarters.


End file.
